An antenna may have one or more beams that are desirably scanned over an area. The scanning can be accomplished by mechanical, electronic, or a combination of mechanical and electronic techniques. For example, U.S. Published Application No. 2003/0071759 to Bien et al. discloses an antenna positioner having a curved cradle with a gear track for adjusting the elevation of the antenna. The antenna positioner further includes a rotary plate connected to the curved cradle for rotating the antenna around an azimuth axis.
Similarly, U.S. Pat. No. 4,937,587 to Tsuda discloses a mechanical scan antenna system having a travel guide on which the antenna travels to permit scanning in one axis. The system also includes a rotatable mount for rotating the travel guide about an azimuth axis. U.S. Pat. No. 6,259,415 to Kumpfbeck et al. also discloses an antenna positioning system including a mount that rotates the antenna in the azimuth axis. The system further includes an elevation tilter for adjusting the horizontal axis position of the antenna.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,202,015 to Moul, Jr. et al.; U.S. Pat. No. 3,383,081 to Guttenberg; U.S. Pat. No. 3,351,946 to Verge; U.S. Pat. No. 4,282,529 to Speicher; U.S. Pat. No. 6,531,990 to Verkerk; U.S. Pat. No. 6,764,051 to Knight; and U.S. Published Application No. 2004/0150574 to Harron all disclose an antenna positioning system including an arcuate member having two ends and a drive track. The drive track engages, and is advanced across a drive unit thereby permitting the positioning of the arcuate member to be changed. These patents and published application systems further disclose the antenna being pivotally mounted on the two ends of the arcuate member.
Unfortunately, the conventional antenna positioning systems may be relatively large, complex, and expensive. This results in such systems requiring a large deployment footprint, increased maintenance and reliability problems, and fewer deployments due to cost considerations.